Idyllic
by Shikami Yamino
Summary: There were a lot of things that Cagalli Yula Athha loved about Athrun Zala. But truth be told, she was sure she could find a way to love him more if... Athrun x Cagalli. [Oneshot]


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Disclaimer:** All characters and specifics of "Kidousenshi Gundam SEED" are copyrighted Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Mainichi Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This fanfiction is property of Shikami Yamino and is not intended for any monetary purpose nor an infringement of copyright laws. No one is to post/host/use any aspect of this fanfic without explicit permission from the author. 

**Notes:** Just one of those ideas that bites you on the ass and refuses to let go... Hopefully not too OOC /grins/

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**Kidousenshi Gundam SEED: "Idyllic"  
**by Shikami Yamino

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There were a lot of things that Cagalli Yula Athha loved about Athrun Zala.

His honesty. His integrity. His warmth.

The way his eyes softened when he smiled. The way his dark bangs always managed to obscure his eyes when he thought hard about something. The way he laughed.

She loved how he consciously struggled with the urge not to salute every time Kisaka walked into the room in uniform. She loved how he always got that bewildered look on his face every time Kira and Lacus's kids cornered him with yet another hare-brained idea that they knew he couldn't refuse. She loved how he always brushed his hand against hers first, as if asking permission, before clasping it gently in his.

In other words, there was little she didn't love about this man.

Hell, after she calmed down, she could even love the way he always knew just how to soothe her temper. Or make her rest. Or any number of things that denoted his understanding of her and her personality.

But truth be told, however difficult it may have been, she was sure she could find a way to love him more if he would just stop smiling that infuriating little smile at her while she was trying to concentrate!

Feeling his amused gaze settle on her head for the nth time since they'd started this stupid exercise, Cagalli had had just about enough.

Abruptly halting her movements, she finally lifted eyes from where they'd been trained to glare into his.

"Exactly what is so funny!"

Athrun apparently still had some sense of self-preservation left because he immediately shook his head and attempted to school his features into an appropriate mask of polite disinterest. Unfortunately for him, even if he had been successful in his latter endeavor, Cagalli also knew him a little too well to let him off with just that.

Her glare intensified a notch.

"Well?"

Knowing the game was up, Athrun let just the tiniest of curves lift his lips.

"You're not supposed to stare at your shoes while you're doing this."

Cagalli flushed bright red at this statement of the extremely obvious.

"I know that!" she retorted, furiously trying to stamp down the heat that was making a strategic assault on her ears. "But how else do you expect me to keep from stepping on your toes like a Gundam with two left feet?"

At that, the soft strains of music flowing around the Athha Estate's grand ballroom were suddenly accompanied by the sound of Athrun's quiet laughter as he finally gave it voice.

Cagalli gaped at him for the briefest of moments before stiffly wrenching her hand from his.

"Forget it! If it wasn't for stupid Mashima and his stupid birthday party that had to be a stupid ball, I wouldn't even be here! I have better things to do!"

Making a move to step away from him with the intention of storming out of the room, Cagalli found herself locked in place by the arm still curled around her waist.

Having been in similar situations before, she should have known better than to even attempt to struggle against his coordinator strength. But then again, she was Cagalli Yula Athha - not struggling was a concept that was simply far too alien to ever occur to her.

Steadily avoiding eye contact with the still laughing former ZAFT ace, Cagalli planted both hands on his chest and pushed in an effort to break the hold he had on her.

"Athrun! Let go!"

Being Orb's Head Representative, she now had no choice but to attend the various social functions that she had previously avoided like the plague ever since she had been old enough to warrant an invitation. And it would have been fine with her if it had simply been a formal dinner or cocktail party or whatever. She wouldn't like it, but she would suck it up and endure it as the necessary evil both Kisaka and Mana had convinced her it was.

But no! Mashima had to choose a stupid ball for his birthday celebration! As if it wasn't bad enough that she was forced to spend an evening with stuffy aristocrats and businessmen who were more interested in gaining her political favor than anything she had to say, she was now forced to dance with them as well!

"Cagalli..."

Then she'd had to admit that she couldn't dance, prompting her to lock both herself and Athrun up in the Estate's ballroom on this fine, sunny Sunday afternoon so that he could teach her. They could have spent the day with Kira and Lacus and the kids! In fact, she had half a mind to blow off Mashima's stupid birthday altogether and spend the evening wrestling with the kids anyway. It would inevitably be more entertaining than any stilted conversation she could have with anyone at that stupid ball.

"Cagalli."

And he had the gall to laugh at her! If that wasn't adding insult to injury she didn't know what was!

"Cagalli!"

An affectionate finger curling around the base of her chin effectively interrupted her seething inner monologue as it tilted her head up against her will so that her eyes locked with his.

But even if he had stopped laughing at her; even if his hand was a gentle and soothing warmth against the small of her back; and even if he was smiling that damned tender smile down at her that always made her flustered, Cagalli Yula Athha would not be appeased so easily.

Because his eyes were still laughing even if he was not.

"What?"

Athrun let out another faint chuckle at her harsh demand before shaking his head a little.

"First of all, you're not a Gundam. Second, you don't have two left feet."

Without taking his eyes off her, he took one of her hands off his chest and held it deftly away from their bodies.

"Now keep your eyes on me, stop worrying about trampling my feet, and listen to the music."

There was only so long Cagalli could keep glaring in the face of that smile that was as warm and encouraging as it was full of pride without feeling ridiculous. And Athrun knew it too - the bastard! So it didn't exactly come as a surprise when she was the first to break eye contact.

"Fine!" she replied snappishly to a point on the wall beyond his head, silently resenting the small part of herself that was enjoying having that smile centered on her even when she knew the power it had over her. "It won't be my fault if you can't walk tomorrow."

Underneath her hand, his shoulder shook a little with the effort of restraining yet another bubble of laughter.

"Understood."

Sullenly counting off the beats in her head, Cagalli waited for Athrun to lead off only to feel a slight nudge from the hand at her back. Startled, she looked up at him, eyes wordlessly questioning.

Athrun merely smiled. "Eyes on me, remember?"

Watching the way her eyes changed instantly from curious to irritated, the former ZAFT ace decided that he'd best quit while he was ahead.

"Ready? One, two, three..."

Thus, the next hour was spent companionably; waltzing, or at least attempting to waltz, to the strains of some seventeenth A.D. century composer's masterpiece.

Athrun's toes weren't spared, though it certainly wasn't as bad as Cagalli had first predicted. Cagalli spent a lot of the first few minutes growling frustratedly under her breath, though that lessened as her body adjusted and memorised the movements. But through it all, the encouraging smile never faded from Athrun's lips as he twirled his partner around the ballroom. Nor did the look of determination on Cagalli's face as she took strength from that smile; even when she was stumbling more than she was dancing.

And somewhere along the way, as the number of fumbles and stumbles declined, and at last finally dwindled and died, even Cagalli began to enjoy herself; laughing freely when she faltered and tripped over her own feet to fall into Athrun's chest after a particularly long interval free of interruptions.

Athrun laughed right along with her but didn't miss a step, carrying her with him until she regained her feet; revelling in the delight sparkling in her russet eyes.

Watching her like this, the way joy suffused features that were usually forced into a mask of gracious formality, it was easy to forget that she was Orb's Head Representative. Easy to forget that she carried a nation's hopes and expectations on her slim shoulders.

She needed this. A chance to get away from the piles upon piles of work stacked up on her desk and just be who she really was - a girl child of merely seventeen.

Spirits buoyed by her obvious elation, Athrun stepped up the ante, initiating a series of steps they hadn't practised but were simple enough for the basics she knew. At the change, he felt her hesitate in his arms only momentarily before giving in to improvisation, offering him her gamest grin as if to ask archly "That's the best you can do?"

Athrun raised an intrigued eyebrow at the pseudo challenge, feeling that rare spark of mischievousness raise its head in interest. And within seconds, testament to his status as a strategist that had graduated top of his class, a plan was formed and prepared for execution.

Biding his time until the music crescendoed to an end around them, Athrun grinned as he released his arm from around Cagalli's waist and daringly spun her out until their entwined hands were the only things that connected them.

Cagalli, confident of her trust in him and quite thoroughly enjoying herself, laughed delightedly as she gave herself up to the momentum; letting him tug and twirl her back just as she reached the apex of her trajectory.

It proved to be her undoing.

Because for all that the world had been spinning around her, she hadn't expected it to suddenly tilt and drop out from under her feet.

Letting out a frantic, undignified yelp that echoed around the ballroom as the music finally cut out, she wound her arms around Athrun's neck and clung to him in an effort to save herself from falling.

Only then did she realise that not only had her downward motion been halted by a warm, supporting hand on the small of her back, that same hand was now keeping her suspended in a precarious position over the ballroom's polished floorboards.

And Athrun was laughing merrily all over again.

"Athrun!"

Feet struggling and failing to find purchase on the floor, Cagalli flushed bright red even as she tried to lever herself up by her arms alone.

"Athrun, put me down!"

Eyes still glinting in amusement, Athrun cocked his head assessingly at her before making as if to drop her as per her wishes.

"No!" Cagalli cried, instinctively tightening her arms around his neck as she felt herself falling again, prompting another round of chuckles from the former ZAFT ace. "Athrun, if you drop me, I swear - !"

"Is that the tone of voice to be used by someone in your position?"

Registering the reference to their first meeting, Cagalli slowly relaxed her arms until she could look into his face. Seeing the mischief that was scrawled across his features, she narrowed her eyes at him; even as a small part of her was relishing the fact that he was relaxed enough to indulge in this rarely seen aspect of his personality.

And he was in fine form today.

It reminded her of the first time she'd witnessed it on that deserted island, when he'd alluded to the presence of the stray crab in her shirt that had somehow escaped her notice; when he'd been more confident and sure of himself, free of the memories of a war that still plagued him to this day.

But regardless of how happy she was to see him shake off the painful thoughts that still trailed after him like lost puppies, however momentary the respite may be, it didn't mean that she was going to let him get away with treating her like a sack of potatoes.

Settling a bit more of her weight onto his supporting hand now that she was sure he wouldn't drop her, Cagalli let just a hint of playfulness seep into her still outwardly irritated countenance.

"This means war, you know."

Athrun chuckled, emerald eyes gazing warmly down into hers as tender fingers came up to brush away the stray blonde strands that had fallen across her cheek.

"I had no doubt."

With that, they were contented for the moment to lapse into a comfortable silence, basking in each other's easy presence and the late afternoon sunlight that slanted in from the ballroom's many floor to ceiling windows.

When at last the record player disturbed the peaceful scene with the cheerful strains of a lone violin, Athrun leaned in to brush a soft kiss against Cagalli's forehead before effortlessly swinging her up until she was on her own two feet once more.

Then, taking a small step away from her, he swept low into a regal bow. Tilting his head so he could see her without straightening and with another teasing smile playing across his lips, he offered her his hand, palm up in invitation.

"May I have this dance?"

Hit with the memory of those torturous etiquette lessons she had endured in her very early formative years, Cagalli snickered a little before dropping into a shaky little curtsy, completely disregarding the fact that she wore not a dress, but her most comfortable cargo pants and red t-shirt ensemble.

"No, I don't believe you may," she replied, assuming an air of haughtiness that she'd seen so many of the aristocrats demonstrate.

"Not like that anyway," she added in her normal voice, wrinkling her nose at him as she commanded, "Stand up and ask properly!"

Smile deepening into genuine pleasure, Athrun straightened from his bow. But instead of offering her his hand again or even opening his mouth, he simply held out his arms to her.

"That's not asking!" Cagalli protested laughingly even as she stepped into them, a light blush staining her cheeks.

Athrun merely closed his arms around her wordlessly in answer, dropping another light kiss on her golden head before taking off on another leisurely waltz to the sound of her light-hearted laughter.

Caught up in the music that drifted melodiously around them, they whiled away the remainder of the daylight hours in the pleasure of each other's company, blissfully unaware that each and every member of staff serving at the Athha Estate somehow managed to find at least one excuse to stroll past the tall ballroom windows on that idyllic Sunday afternoon.

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**End**

**Final Notes:** /glances at the word count/ Well... it was **meant** to be a drabble... /slumps/ Just goes to show that I can't write short fic to save my life.


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